Wells Fargo And First Generation Films Announce “Go College!” Initiative To Inspire Students

Award-winning documentary to be viewed by students and their families in 10 major cities

SAN FRANCISCO - February 3, 2014

Wells Fargo Education Financial Services and First Generation Films today kicked off the “Go College!” national community event initiative that will present 70 film screenings of the award-winning documentary First Generation to tens-of-thousands of high school students, parents, educators and civic and community leaders in 10 major cities across the United States throughout 2014.

Go College! was created to help shrink the higher education gap amongst first generation college-bound students, minorities and underserved youth through the inspirational stories captured in First Generation. The screenings will also include a panel discussion with the documentary film makers, education leaders, and college financial planning experts.

First Generation is narrated by two-time Golden Globe Award nominee Blair Underwood and tells the story of four high school students - an inner city athlete, a small town waitress, a Samoan warrior dancer, and the daughter of migrant field workers - who are looking to break the cycle of poverty and bring hope to their families and communities through a college education.

“A college education can change not just a life, but the prospects of an entire community,” said John Rasmussen, Head of Wells Fargo’s Education Financial Services. “Wells Fargo has been part of the student lending business for more than 40 years and we recognize that paying for an education is a critical financial event for many students and their families. By partnering with First Generation Films to create the Go College! initiative, we hope to plant seeds of hope in America’s first generation students and make the prospects of achieving higher education a reality.”

In each city, Go College! will feature four to six private screenings for students and educators at local high schools and a large-scale theatrical screening that will be free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage the filmmaking team of Adam and Jaye Fenderson, Wells Fargo private student lending and financial planning experts and local educational leaders in a dialogue focused on how to make attending college a reality. Attendees are also encouraged to submit education-related questions before and after the scheduled events using the hashtags #GoCollege and #WFCollegeTour on Twitter. Free information packets on college application processes, scholarship opportunities, tips to estimate college costs, and how to capitalize on various funding sources to pay for college will be provided at all screenings.

“Our goal in making the film was to help high school students learn from their peers about the college admissions process,” said co-Director Jaye Fenderson, a former senior admissions officer at Columbia University and the author of Seventeen's Guide To Getting Into College. “But it evolved to become so much more than that - an emotional experience and message that resonated with underserved communities.”

“By bringing the film directly to students and speaking with their parents, we want to remove any perceived and actual barriers to college access,” said co-Director Adam Fenderson.

“We want to encourage students and parents to engage the panel participants at the event and on Twitter to foster a high-quality learning experience,” said Rasmussen. “Go College! is not only an opportunity for parents and students to learn everything they need to know about how to apply to colleges, but also gain a better understanding of how to afford the cost of tuition.”

Members of the media who would like to receive access for viewing the film online, please contact Jason Vasquez at Jason.A.Vasquez@wellsfargo.com.

About First Generation Filmed over the course of three years and featuring some of our nation's top educational experts (Richard Kahlenberg, The Century Foundation; J.B. Schramm, College Summit; Dr. Bill Tierney, University of Southern California), First Generation is a 95-minute documentary that explores the problem of college access faced by first generation and low-income students and how their success has major implications for the future of our nation. For more information about the film visit www.firstgenerationfilm.com

About Wells Fargo Education Financial Services Wells Fargo Education Financial Services has been in the student lending business since 1968 and currently serves more than 1.9 million student, parent and family customers in all 50 states. We provide private student loans directly to consumers, through the Internet and at more than 6,000 Wells Fargo banking stores to help customers finance their education. Wells Fargo Education Financial Services also provides customers with tools to help them succeed financially while in school and prepare them for when they finish college. Through the Wells Fargo Foundation, we partner with nonprofit organizations and stakeholders to strengthen our goal of providing high quality assistance to those individuals who are working to achieve their educational dreams. Learn more about Wells Fargo Education Financial Services.

About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.5 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2013 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at blogs.wellsfargo.com.